Step 9: Shooting the darn thing

Step 10: Alternatives and finale

and here are some shots from my previous (unposted) DIY target... made out of old "phone books", using the same procedures. yup... phone books are goo...

The office had lots of scrap/used A4-sized papers lying around. I decided to save them from the shredder and make a cheap and easy archery target out of these. The idea is to stack them up and compress them, enough to stop your arrows.

A3-sized papers would be better, you can make a bigger target from those. But since A4 is widely used in the office, i don't need to be choosy... since it's free anyway. ;)

Step 1: Materials

1. lots of A4-sized papers. stack them up until they're tall enough to equal the length of an A3-sized paper (two A4s makes one A3).

2. old ring binders/file folders (or a strong, thick cardboard)

3. cutter

4. cutting mat (optional)

5. rubber cement

6. cloth from old t-shirt of whatever you could find

7. 2-inch duct tape or filament tape (those with fibers)

8. 2-inch packing tape (the strong, clear types are preferred)

9. metal ruler or anything straight that would serve as a cutting guide

10. straw or any flat rope

11. old paint brush

Step 2: The top and bottom shell

use a sheet of A4 paper as a guide. put it over the ring binder then cut away using a metal ruler. pieces should equal the A4 paper's dimensions. a ring binder has two sides, so you also get two "shells" for your target. remember to use a cutting mat or another piece of ring binder, or anything that would protect you and your work table.

be careful.

Step 3: Stacking them up

find a table or any flat surface that's connected to a wall. stack your papers horizontally placing the shells on both ends.

using a straw or any flat rope, tie it around the stack to initially compress the stack, pulling it tightly before you make a knot at the stack's corner.

Couldn't you just use sheets of styrofoam? Easier to paint and more durable. :) It would also be more eco friendly, since you only use 1-10 sheets of foam, depending on thickness. You can also shoot sharp points into foam without blunting. (As far as I know)

If you are a hunter, you would want to try shooting at least one of your broadheads for practice. Broadheads can make an arrow fly differently than a field point. You need to know if there is any difference in point of impact for when the shot counts.